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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25319437">all the promises at sundown (i meant them like the rest)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/unusannus/pseuds/unusannus'>unusannus</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Last of Us</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Father-Daughter Relationship, Fluff, He gets to live, Light Angst, Not Canon Compliant, naughty dog ruined me so i have to make this, super super light because i cannot handle more pain, they talk about their feelings because therapy doesn't exist in the apocalypse, this is what SHOULD’VE happened</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 03:14:11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,378</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25319437</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/unusannus/pseuds/unusannus</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“I’m sorry”</p><p>“For what?”</p><p>“For being an idiot”</p><p>“I’d say I’m a bit of one, too.”</p><p>(After their movie night, Ellie and Joel talk.)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ellie &amp; Joel (The Last of Us)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>204</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>all the promises at sundown (i meant them like the rest)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>this was mostly a lil drabble about my Feelings and what ellie and joel deserved to have. enjoy the softness!! (title from future days, aka the official anthem of this game)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“What? Are you kidding me? He could’ve </span>
  <em>
    <span>totally</span>
  </em>
  <span> escaped that guy!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, that’s what the third movie is for.” Joel informs Ellie, who rolls her eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Did all movies back then end in cliffhangers? Because, if so, that sucks.” Ellie deadpans, angrily chewing away at her bowl of popcorn, staring at the credits.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Joel grins at her pouty face, “We can watch the next one tomorrow night, if you’re up for it, that is.” He ends open endedly, not wanting to force her to hang out with him anymore than she might want to at the moment.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She shifts on the couch to face him, “ Yeah, that sounds good. “ And maybe it's how easily she says it or how she’s looking at him without any of the distaste from before, but Joel feels himself tearing up a bit. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Pull yourself together, Miller </span>
  </em>
  <span>He thinks to himself, clearing his throat. He stands, extending a hand for her to do the same and she takes it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ellie yawns, “Well, I’ve gotta head to bed. Patrol tomorrow is earlier than usual.” Joel nods, grunting in agreement. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lacing up her boots, Ellie smiles softly, “Hey, uh, thanks for letting me come over. It was nice, and the movie didn’t suck.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I should be thanking you, kiddo. I-” He stops himself, thinking over what he’s going to say next, Ellie looks at him expectantly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He sighs, “I missed you.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ellie’s expression softens as the words leave his mouth, “You’re gonna make me cry, old man.” She shoves him playfully, and Joel tries to ignore the fact that this is the first time she’s touched him in 2 years, ever since the truth had come out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Joel holds his hands up, “I’m being serious. I haven’t had a night as nice as this in a while.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ellie furrows her brows, dropping the playfulness, “ I’m sorry.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Now, it’s Joel’s turn to look confused, “For what?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She looks down, embarrassed, “For being an idiot.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He chuckles, stroking his beard softly, “I’d say I’m a bit of one, too.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ellie still has her brows scrunched up deep in thought, and Joel resists the urge to smooth them out with his thumb. He doesn’t speak, letting Ellie take her time to figure out her words.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A few seconds later, she begins, “I just- I’m sorry for letting so much distance come between us. I- I shouldn’t have done that.” Her voice cracks so softly as she finishes that Joel isn’t sure if that actually happened or not.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Joel shakes his head, foregoing his earlier precautions to grab both her shoulders gently, “Hey, hey, don’t talk like that. Like it was only your fault. You and I know damn well it was my own foolishness that separated us. I should’ve told you the truth </span>
  <em>
    <span>way</span>
  </em>
  <span> earlier than I did. You didn’t deserve to find out the way it happened.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ellie sniffles, nodding weakly and it’s just about enough to break Joel’s heart when she asks, “C-can I hug you?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, kiddo. You don’t gotta ask me.” When she does, squeezing him like she’ll die if she lets go, Joel relaxes, like </span>
  <em>
    <span>really </span>
  </em>
  <span>relaxes. A sense of relaxation he doesn’t think he has ever known in all his decades on earth. He breathes a sigh of relief.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m trying, Joel. I’m really trying.” She whimpers into his flannel, and without further explanation Joel knows what she’s talking about.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He soothingly runs a hand through her hair, “I know, kiddo. I know.” He separates from the hug, kissing her forehead, “You’re the strongest person I have ever known, Ellie Williams. Now, don’t you ever forget that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ellie scoffs, looking down and mumbling, “I’m not.” Looking back up, she meets his eyes, “Sometimes I just wanna scream and punch something, you know? Like, all this pressure has been building inside me and I wanna run away to let it out, whether it’s on others or myself, I dunno.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Joel sighs, beckoning her to sit down on the couch again, “Look, I-I know I ain’t ever been the best role model for dealing with your feelings, but whenever you feel like that…” He trails off, taking hold of her hand, “You talk to someone, alright? If it’s me, that’s okay, but if it’s Dina or Jessie or whoever else, that’s okay too.” He soothingly rubs her knuckles with his thumb.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ellie says nothing for a few moments. He can almost hear the gears turning in her head as she chews on her lower lip. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay.” She says simply. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay?” Joel repeats, eyebrow raised.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ellie gives him a curt nod, “Yeah, I don’t want you to worry too much about me, though.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He scoffs, slightly offended, “Kiddo, that’s basically a part of my job.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It shouldn’t be.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Where do you get all this self-deprecation from?” Joel asks, “Is it from me?” It’s meant jokingly, but he knows that there’s a bit of truth hidden beneath the shallow humor and it seems like Ellie knows as well.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She shrugs slightly, “I mean...maybe. I haven’t had many people to look up to in my life.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Joel feels his voice go hoarse, “And you do?” He backtracks, “Look up to me, I mean?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ellie looks embarrassed again,, “Uh, yeah, I do. You’ve always-” She huffs, cutting herself off, frustrated at not finding the right words. So, as always, Joel waits for her, a patient look in his eyes. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’ve definitely been a constant in my life, longer than a lot of other people.” She blurts out quickly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Joel’s eyes widen slightly, but he stops himself from looking too surprised because he doesn’t want her to feel bad for saying her true feelings and not hiding them like she usually would. “Well,” He starts, “I guess I should work on liking myself more, so it can rub off on you then, huh?” He questions her good naturedly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ellie giggles, it’s unlike anything Joel has ever heard in the years they’ve known each other. It reminds him of playing up a funny act for Sarah when she was a baby just to hear her laugh in her own carefree manner, devoid of all the ugliness in the world. His heart feels warm at the sound.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A few seconds pass, but the silence isn’t awkward like it would’ve been just last week. It’s comfortable.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’re gonna be alright, kiddo.” Joel assures her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His tears are falling before he can stop and this time Ellie doesn’t ask, but rather just hugs him. He closes his eyes, savoring the moment this time.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When Ellie lets go, she’s rubbing at her eyes, “Okay, I’ve really gotta get some sleep now.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Joel nods, “ ‘Course.” He fiddles with his broken watch as she shrugs on her jacket, well, really, it was </span>
  <em>
    <span>his.</span>
  </em>
  <span> When she had first arrived for the movie, it had been hanging on a lone chair, as she admired it Joel offered it up to her. She turned him down, but he said the offer would stand for as long as he wanted. Seems like it didn’t take long for her to make a decision.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Walking to open the door, Joel tells her, “If you’re going on patrol with Dina in the morning, try not to waste too much time messing around.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her face goes beet red, “W-what? I- We wouldn’t do that!” She stutters out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hmm, keep telling yourself that.” He grins teasingly, “Just stay safe alright?You can be a little too reckless and I don’t want you to miss movie night because you broke a limb or got a bullet stuck in ya.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ellie rolls her eyes fondly, “I’m not </span>
  <em>
    <span>that </span>
  </em>
  <span>reckless.” Joel raises an eyebrow, saying nothing. She relents, “Okay, okay. I’ll do my best to stay safe, promise.” She sticks out a pinky finger to him. He curls his own around hers and they shake once.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Have a good night.” He tells her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You too.” She gives him a small wave before walking off to her place.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Joel sighs, closing the door. He heads up to his own bed, slipping under the covers and putting on his reading glasses. Opening his </span>
  <em>
    <span>Space: For Dummies </span>
  </em>
  <span>book he begins from page one. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Now, there was even more reason to read it than when he had got it years ago.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>any comments/kudos are appreciated! i love hearing what people think. also i think i'll add more to this universe where joel lives because it's what he deserves, perhaps some grandpa joel content?? who knows</p></blockquote></div></div>
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